1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operation switch wiring mechanism used in a remote monitoring and control system which performs remote monitoring and control with respect to loads such as lighting instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for remote monitoring and control of a load, it is known that a technology transmits a transmission signal including ON/OFF information of a switch via a signal line and turns on/off a relay for supplying power to the load based on the transmission signal.
Such a remote monitoring and control system, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, includes a transmission unit 100, an operation terminal 101 for monitoring a state of an operation switch 103, and a control terminal 102 for turning on/off the load such as a lighting instrument by a contact (not shown) of a relay 104, which are connected to each other through a two-wire signal line 105. In this system, the transmission unit 100 individually identifies the operation terminal 101 and the control terminal 102 using individual addresses which are set to the operation terminal 101 and the control terminal 102. In FIG. 16, reference numeral 106 denotes a power supply transformer for driving the relay 104.
In this remote monitoring and control system, the transmission unit 100 transmits a transmission signal Vs having a form shown in FIG. 17(a) to perform data transmission/reception with each of the terminals 101 and 102. The transmission signal Vs is a bipolar time division multiplex signal (±24 V) including a start pulse ST representing transmission start of a signal, a mode data MD representing a mode of the signal, an address data AD for individually identifying each of the terminals 101 and 102, a control data CD representing a control content of a load, an error correcting symbol CS for detecting an transmission error, such as checksum data, and a carrying standby period WT for carrying a carrying signal from each of the terminals 101 and 102, and data is transmitted by pulse width modulation.
In the each of the terminals 101 and 102, when an address included in the address data AD of the transmission signal Vs received via the signal line 105 is identical to its own address which is previously set, the control data CD from the transmission signal Vs is received and the data as a current mode signal (signal transmitted by short-circuiting the signal line 105 through an adequately low impedance) is carried in the carrying standby period WT of the transmission signal Vs.
In the operation terminal 101, when the operation switch 103 is manipulated, an interrupt signal Vi is transmitted as a current mode as shown in FIG. 17(c), in a period of receiving the start pulse ST of the transmission signal Vs which is usually transmitted as shown in FIG. 17(b). If the transmission unit 100 includes a signal transmission means and an interrupt processing means, the mode data MD is set to a polling mode by the signal transmission unit, the transmission signal Vs having the address data AD of a dummy or a terminal which is always monitored is always transmitted, and the interrupt signal Vi which is transmitted from the operation terminal 101 by the manipulation of the operation switch 103 in synchronization with the start pulse ST of the transmission signal Vs of this mode is received, the interrupt processing means sequentially transmits the transmission signal Vs having a group address for identifying the operation terminal 101 in a unit of group and detects the operation terminal 101 which transmits the interrupt signal Vi.
At this time, the operation terminal 101, which transmits the interrupt signal, carries its own address as the carrying signal in the carrying standby period WT in order to access its own group address. The transmission unit 100, which receives this carrying signal, detects the operation terminal 101 which transmits the interrupt signal Vi on the basis of the transmitted address data, transmits the transmission signal Vs for accessing the operation terminal 101, and carries operation data of the operation switch 103 from the operation terminal 101 as a monitoring data by the carrying signal in the carrying standby period WT.
After the above-described interrupt process, the transmission unit 100 prepares the control data CD of the control terminal 102 in which correspondence is previously set based on the monitoring data and transmits the control data CD together with the address data AD of the control terminal 102 by the transmission signal Vs in a time division multiplex manner. The control terminal 102 accessed by the transmission signal Vs controls the relay 104 and turns on/off the power of the load through the contact of the relay.
In this remote monitoring and control system, the load can be turned on/off through the relay 104 of the corresponding control terminal 102, in accordance with the manipulation of the operation switch 103 of the operation terminal 101.
In the above-described remote monitoring and control system, the transmission unit 100 includes a memory for storing a control table which is a data table for making the operation terminal 101 correspond to the control terminal 102 by the address. When ON/OFF information of the operation switch 103 of any one operation terminal 101 is notified to the transmission unit 100 using the transmission signal Vs, an instruction for turning on/off the relay 103 using the transmission signal is transmitted to the control terminal 102 corresponding to the operation terminal 101 by the control table, and the relay 104 of the control terminal 102 which receives the instruction is turned on/off. Here, one operation terminal 101 can identify four circuits of the operation switches 103 in maximum and one control terminal 102 can identify of four circuits of the relays 104 in maximum. In the control table provided in the transmission unit 100, the operation switch 103 and the relay 104 correspond to each other in a unit of circuit. Also, in the control table, the operation switch 103 and the relay 104 are connected to each other in one-to-multiple correspondence as well as in one-to-one correspondence.
For example, when the lighting instrument as the load is turned on/off using the relay 104, the transmission unit 100 can be set in order to perform the function of individual control that one circuit of lighting instrument is turned on and off with one switch or the function of collective control that plural circuits of lighting instruments are turned on and off with one switch. That is, the individual control means that one circuit of load is controlled by one instruction and the collective control means that plural circuits of loads are controlled by one instruction. The collective control is classified into group control that the a range of loads to be controlled is caused to correspond to a switch and the loads in the range are turned on or off at a time by means of manipulation of the switch and pattern control that a range of addresses of the loads to be controlled and ON and OFF states of the loads corresponding to the respective addresses are caused to correspond to a switch and the loads in the range are individually turned on or off by means of manipulation of the switch.
Conventionally, there was provided an address setting device for setting the address of the control terminal 102 controlled by the collective control such as the group control or the pattern control (for example, see Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2). However, the number of the system components except the operation terminal 101 or the control terminal 102 increases. Also, since the address setting device is used only at the time of setting the address, an unnecessary system component increases in a general control.
Accordingly, conventionally, there was provided a technology of changing the address assigned to the operation switch 103 in the operation terminal 101 and controlling the load without using the address setting device. For example, in a selector switch 110 shown in FIG. 18(a), a plurality of selector keys 111 for controlling the load are included and the address of each of the selector keys 111 is set by various kinds of the operation switches including a setting switch portion 112. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 18(b), a selector switch 120 including a liquid crystal panel 121 is provided, and the liquid crystal panel 121 has a touch switch. By manipulating an operation button provided on a screen of the liquid crystal panel 121, a pattern address or a group address is set.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-108493
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-303681
In the above-described remote monitoring and control system, when the address of the operation terminal 101 is changed to change the correspondence with the address of the relay 104 without using the address setting device, the selector switch 110 including the plurality of the selector keys 111 and the setting switch portion 112 for setting the addresses of the respective selector keys 111, or the selector switch 120 including the liquid crystal panel 121 having the touch switch is used. However, the selector switch 110 or 120 is, for example, provided in a control office and used for controlling the lighting load of the entire system. To this end, since the selector switch 110 or 120 has many functions such as the pattern control or the group control, it has a large size and a high cost. In addition, since the setting manipulation is complex, it is difficult for an unskilled person to set the address.
Furthermore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 18(c), a 4-bit deep switch DS for setting the address is mounted on the rear surface of the operation terminal 101 which is buried in a building surface and the address is set by the manipulation of the deep switch DS. In this case, the address can be easily set before burying the operation terminal 101, but the setting of the address can not be changed without taking off the operation terminal 101, because the deep switch DS is hidden in a construction surface.